San Diego Family Justice Center will offer services to sex-trafficking victims

Hayne Palmour IV/San Diego Union-Tribune file

In this Jan, 13, 2010 file photo, people attending the Fifth Annual Human Trafficking Awareness Rally march through Balboa Park in San Diego. Tthe City Attorney's Office announced this week that the Family Justice Center will begin offering services to victims of sex trafficking.

In this Jan, 13, 2010 file photo, people attending the Fifth Annual Human Trafficking Awareness Rally march through Balboa Park in San Diego. Tthe City Attorney's Office announced this week that the Family Justice Center will begin offering services to victims of sex trafficking. (Hayne Palmour IV/San Diego Union-Tribune file)

The San Diego Family Justice Center, long a bulwark for domestic violence victims, will expand its offerings to include services for victims of sex trafficking, the San Diego City Attorney’s Office announced this week.

“In offering these new services, we are responding to a need,” City Attorney Mara Elliott said in a statement issued Friday.

“We discovered that many of our domestic violence clients have also been trafficked for sex. That’s why the SDFJC is bringing on new, specialized community partners to ensure that any victim who walks through our doors gets the specific kind of support they need.”

“We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for them to get back on their feet,” Elliott said in the video.

The San Diego Family Justice Center — the first of its kind in the nation — was established in 2002 as a one-stop place for victims of domestic violence. The expansion of services to include victims of human trafficking was formally announced at an event Thursday.

Services at the center, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., are provided free of charge. It is located at 1122 Broadway in downtown San Diego.

The center can be reached toll free at (866) 933-4673.

To learn more about the San Diego Family Justice Center, visit sandiego.gov/fjc.